PSD Soldiers make a difference at FOB Sharana

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, AFGHANISTAN

03.26.2008

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO

By Army Capt. Ashley Dellavalle
Task Force Rugged Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, Afghanistan -- "We are the best section in this company. My Soldiers think we are, I think we are," said Staff Sgt. Ian Roberts, the non-commissioned officer in charge of Task Force Rugged's commander and command sergeant major's Personal Security Detachment.

The 10-Soldier element in Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 36th Engineer Brigade out of Fort Hood, Texas, does far more than escort the senior leadership around the battlefield.

"They are my go-to guys," said Command Sgt. Maj. Frank C. Busch, of TF Rugged.

The Soldiers of the "Rugged" PSD are on the road quite a bit. They have conducted more than 40 convoy patrols throughout Regional-Command East, from Jaji, Northern Afghanistan, to Forward Operating Base Warrior in the southern Ghanzni province, Afghanistan, in the one year that they have been here.

As a true testament to the Soldier's ability to help support any mission, the team of Soldiers assisted the 70th Engineer Battalion, of Fort Riley, Kan., in building a 110-foot bridge in support of operations in the area.

Roberts taught his Soldiers to be meticulous in their planning and execution of convoy operations.

"My guys know their weapons," Roberts said.

The PSD's dedication to mission success is apparent in all the team does. When Roberts quizzes his gunners and drivers on their techniques, tactics and procedures prior to a mission, Soldiers spout off answers as if they knew exactly what question Roberts was going to ask next.

When the Soldiers are not on the road conducting their primary mission, they work hard to better the FOB. As the "go-to" guys, the section has built everything on FOB Sharana -- from a trophy case complete with sliding doors for the Brigade Headquarters' conference room, to a full B-Hut that houses the contractors responsible for screening and badging local Afghans who work on the base.

Sgt. Michael Creed, of Masuary, Ohio, took the lead building the wooden B-Hut structure.

"Creed is one of our master carpenters," said Roberts. "He knows his stuff when it comes to carpentry."

Creed was closely assisted by Sgt. Duniel Mirabal, of Hialeah, Fla., And Spc. Marcelanni Jongoy, of Queens, N.Y.

Spc. Marshall Newman from Royston, Ga., and Spc. James Linton from Port Deposit, Md., showed their construction expertise while the detachment of combat engineers constructed two new offices, one for the combat stress team and one for the TF Rugged public affairs officer. They also built counters and shelves for the post exchange and post office on base, as well as three living spaces for the medical team.

Spc. Jonas Turner of Kansas City, Kan., and Spc. Andrew Davis of East Orange, N.J., greatly assisted with the plumbing and electrical work while adding a bathroom and decking for the commander and command sergeant major's living area.

The Soldiers of the PSD gutted the moral, welfare and recreation facility and rebuilt the interior to accommodate additional phones and computer stations. Similarly, they tore out the inside of an old operations center and constructed the interior walls for a new medical aid station. All of these projects substantially improved the quality of life for Soldiers living and working on the FOB.

Roberts sees his most important projects as the ones involving protecting the troops on the FOB.

"The team revamped the guard towers' windows, so Soldiers on duty could have a better line of site out of them," Roberts said.

Roberts gives most of the credit for this project to one of his team leaders, Sgt. Robert Goldhor, of Boulder, Colo., and his newest Soldier on his team, Spc. Tristan Martin-Hower, of Grands Pass, Ore.

Roberts' team also fabricated weapons mounts, by welding metal parts together in each tower so that Soldiers could better maneuver the weapons in the towers to fire.

In addition to augmenting various force protection projects on the base, the team acted as FOB Sharana's Quick Reaction Force for about 45 days to allow other engineer units that were previously conducting the task to work on other infrastructure projects.

Roberts takes every task as an opportunity to train his men. His constant mentoring can be seen in every task the team takes on and the results they produce. Roberts saw the fruits of his labor during the promotion ceremonies.

"My proudest moments during this deployment have been seeing the guys get promoted -- Spc. Creed to Sgt. Creed, Spc. Goldhor to Sgt. Goldhor, Spc. Mirabal to Sgt. Mirabal, and Pvt. 1st Class Newman to Spc. Newman," Roberts said. "They deserved it!"

• Date Taken: 03.26.2008
• Date Posted: 03.27.2008 08:30
• Story ID: 17796
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, AF